Pension Bokunouchi

A small pension in Zao Onsen with one compact indoor bath, big enough for two or three adults. You lock the door and take it privately, alone, as a couple or with family, whenever it is free. The sulfur water comes straight from the mountain and is kept flowing fresh, with no recirculation. It is hot when it arrives, so you cut it with cold water, and guests say it leaves your hands and feet warm for hours afterward. When the place is busy the bath can be shared out in turns, and in ski season that happens often. The building is old and wooden, with simple Japanese-style rooms and a homey feel, and the ropeway and ski slopes are right outside. There is no private car park.